I think the type of person or mothers we become depends on our circumstances.
Tulsi loves her daughter and is not afraid to stand up for her because her status is not dependent on the whims of a man like PVR.
Pavitra on the other hand can not afford to express her love, if there is any, for her daughter because she was made to feel ashamed of giving birth to a daughter. Moreover her circumstances are such that she believes herself to be dependent on the goodwill of PVR for her continued well being.
And lets not forget Nakku bai. She is a complex character. NAkku Bai is to Pavitra what Munshi ji is to PVR, to an extent. But Nakku is the stronger on in the relationship. Nakku is the only confidant that Pavitra has in that household. And this allows Nakku to present a picture that is not always true regarding Pavitra's husband because if all was well between Pavitra and her husband then Pavitra might not need a confidant so badly.
I think I might be getting a bit off topic here but I think that you can't compare Tulsi and Pavitra. Both of them appear to be starkly different. While one appears to be from a respectable family, her values are anything but ( remember when Aru was being auctioned off and it did not really bother her), because she beleives herself to not be accountable to the same rules that govern others.On the other hand Tulsi appears to be independent but she is overshadowed by her mother and has had to cope with the stigma of being a KD.
I really dont know if it all made sense, but it needed to be said,
And I loved the Tulsi scene from today's episode. I was all like "you go girl, teach that hypocrite lesson that everyone will remember."